Another Spira
by mardoc sun god
Summary: This is a different Spira. One where Sin sucks the life out of the world, and the summoners are the only ones who can heal it. But few people know that its already too late to save Spira from a very final, very permanent, death.
1. Chapter 1

_We're going to play a little game of pretend. Yes, this takes place in Spira, and yes there are summoners and there is the evil that is Sin. All of the locations are the same, as are the names of the people. One or two people will be of my imagination, but other than that, it will be the Spira of FF X. _

_Here are the key things that need your imagination. _

_1. Yevon is not evil. Sure, there are bad people in charge at one time or another, but overall, Yevon is not the bad guy. They are what help the summoners keep Spira going. Sort of the muscles that keep the backbone supported, with summoners being the backbone. Seymour is still creepy Seymour, but not hell bent on destroying Spira. Mika, that old coot, is dead and buried (praise be to Yevon!) and the temples are still a key part of the world. _

_2. Sin is a little different. It doesn't just cause damage or kill people. What it does, is suck the life force out of all living creatures and plants. That's why no one can truly kill Sin. As long as there is life on Spira, there will be Sin. The Final Summoning will temporarily trap it, but it will always escape because there is nothing that will hold it for long. Its evil is like acid, eating away at the bonds that keep it from Spira. _

_It's also not the person who was chosen to be the Final Aeon. It is Sin. There is nothing recognizable as 'human' in Sin. No being calmed by the Hymn of the Fayth, no trying to communicate with anyone. There is no 'help' from Sin by bringing someone from another world/dream into Spira. It just sucks out the life like the marrow from bones. Got it? Ok._

_3. Yunalesca is still cold-hearted 'let-me-save-you-by-killing-you' Yunalesca. That whole 'hope' spiel is a bunch of crap. I hate her, but she is necessary. meh. _

_4. Summoners still go to temples to get Aeons. They perform sendings. But the most important thing they do is to bring life back to Spira. They restore what Sin takes away. This means that there are a lot of them, and not all of them have the strength to go against Sin. Very few have what it takes, and even then they go in pairs with their Guardians to Zanarkand with the Bitch-woman to defeat Sin. _

_The main point of pilgrimages is to bring back the life force of the world. Every point in the pilgrimage is where they perform this feat, called 'Restoration'. It means that the crops will grow, children will grow and adults will stay healthy enough to care for both. It's also performed where ever there is a need of it. Summoners heal the wounded and dying. _

_5. Jecht and Tidus will be there. Not from the city of Zanarkand, but from Spira. Jecht will be dead of course and Tidus will be on Besaid. Got to have some Tuna-ness going on, right? lol. _

_6. The Al Bhed aren't exactly hated, but they aren't exactly a part of the global community. Machina are not widely used by anyone BUT the Al Bhed. They are the ones who put it to use for the good of mankind. No one else is willing to do it, cause of the whole taboo on machina from Yevon. Yevon still says what machina can be used and what can't be used. The Al Bhed don't take part in Yevon beliefs. _

_Hmmm...I think that is about it for the important pretend issues we needed to hit. Make sure you read them carefully, cause while its still Spira; it's not the Spira you're used to. Let us get to the good, juicy bits! On to the story! _


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own FFX-2 or any other SE property.**

"Hey! Big brother! We're almost there! I can see the island!"

"Yes, you're right Pacce. We'll be landing soon."

"And then we get to meet the summoner here, right Issaru? She's really pretty, and nice too!"

"And how do you know that?" asked Maroda.

"Cause she wrote me a letter!"

"Sure she did, Pacce." Maroda laughed heartily at his younger brother. "Why would the lady summoner write a letter to you?"

"Cause I wrote one to her, saying that we were coming to the island to start our pilgrimage and it would be really neat if we all went together. And she wrote back saying that was a great idea and that we should hurry cause she'd be starting her journey really soon!"

"It's true, Maroda. She did write back to him. She even sent a sphere of the island to him, a sort of guided tour. She's quite lovely, as he says."

"Huh. I'll believe that when I see it. Where's the sphere at then, little brother?"

"At home! I didn't want to break it! It's really special to me and I don't want even a scratch to get on it!"

"Enough, Maroda." Issaru said before Maroda could respond. Maroda shrugged and left the matter alone. Issaru was as eager to see the Isle of Besaid as Pacce was, and not just for its natural beauty. The summoner here was the strongest since the days of Lady Yunalesca. "We'll land soon, and then you can ask the lady summoner yourself if she wrote Pacce a letter."

"Hey, now, you think I'm going to bother her about something like that? Especially if she's as pretty as you say she is?" His smile disappeared with the look Issaru was directing at him. "I was joking, Issaru! A j-o-k-e. You know, funny ha-ha?"

"Look! Look! I can see the dock! Look at the beaches! Oh wow! Do you think we can go swimming before we leave?"

Both Issaru and Maroda smiled fondly at their little brother. His enthusiasm was boundless, and was what kept them going. He was the reason behind Issaru's pilgrimage. Pacce had been caught in one of Sin's attacks, and had nearly died. The only reason he hadn't was because Issaru had been there at the time of the attack. Seeing people that were not familiar be harmed was one thing, but to have his youngest brother turned into a lifeless rag doll was unbearable. Issaru had vowed there and then to defeat Sin, even if it meant that his loved ones would only have ten years of peace. It was better than nothing.

The seas around Besaid were calm, making it ideal for Blitzball and other recreation. It also made for quick docking. Pacce leapt from the deck of the ship onto the wooden pier, shouting happily. The two brothers still on board shared a mischievous look and followed suit, surprising the boat and dock hands. Summoners usually had a calm demeanor. The men watching smiled in spite of themselves. Happiness was a thing to be enjoyed whenever it presented itself. Such a scene would be told of for years to come.

"Last one to the beach is a flat Blitzball!" Pacce yelled, getting a head start on his two brothers.

"No fair! We all have to start at the same time, you little munchkin!"

Fairness not withstanding, they ran after Pacce, making sure to stay just behind the boy. Pacce loved races, and he knew instinctively which the shortest route was and what land was safe to tread on. It was why he was here as Issaru's guardian instead of staying back in Bevelle. Not that Pacce would have stayed there for more than a few minutes. He would have found a way to join them one way or another. Having him as an official guardian was simply the easiest way. The journey would be more enjoyable with all of them together.

The race continued until Pacce's feet hit the sands. He kept on running, turning his head to give a triumphant smile at his pursuers, when he made contact with a large, hard object. He bounced off of it and landed on the sands, now frowning at what had impeded his running.

The impediment turned out to be an Al Bhed man. Tall and lanky, he wore an eye patch over his left eye and a multitude of guns and weapons about his person. A grin played at his lips as he tried not to laugh at Pacce's glare.

"You okay there little guy?"

"Yeah. You shouldn't stand in the way when people are racing you know! I was just gunna start my victory dance..."

"Sorry. I'll be sure and stay out of your way there kid." The Al Bhed man looked up at the approach of Issaru and Maroda, and winked in a conspiring way at him. "You should do the victory dance anyway; rub it in that those two lost."

"Huh?" Pacce stared for a second before winking back. "Yeah!" He quickly turned to his brothers and stuck out his tongue before prancing around them in a circle. "Slow pokes! I beat you even with this guy getting in my way! You need to train more! HEHEHEHE!"

"Pacce! Did you even apologize for running into this man?" Pacce ignored Issaru and continued on with his dancing. Issaru sighed and bowed to the Al Bhed man. "I apologize for my brother's antics."

"Ah, don't worry about it! I did a lot worse when I was his age. Hey, isn't he that kid who wrote a letter to the summoner?"

"Yes, he did. But how did you know of it, if I might ask?"

"I'm one of her guardians. Who do you think was the one holding the sphere while she skipped around the island?"

"Pacce! We get the point! Stop running around like a mad goat!"

"You're just jealous Maroda!"

Pacce finally stopped dancing, but still held a grin on his face. He was the image of happiness, what with the twinkling eyes and red cheeks. The Al Bhed reached out and ruffled his hair, making Pacce grin even more. He liked the man. He had a good sense of humor and understood the need to display victory dances. A person who does not have such a dance can not be called a true victor. It is incumbent upon the victor to strut his or her feathers before the losers in a competition.

"What's your name, mister?"

"Gippal. You're Pacce, right? We've been waiting for you guys to get here. Rikku's been dragging me out here to see if you've arrived yet everyday."

"Yep! I'm Pacce! And these are my brothers, Issaru, and Maroda. Me and Maroda are guardians!" This statement was punctuated with a thumb on the chest. He continued on before anyone could get a word in. "Where is she now?" Pacce looked around the beach for signs of the summoner. Where ever a guardian was, the summoner was near by. "I don't see her..."

"She's down at the cliff. Or up at the cliff. Whatever. Come on, I'll take you there."

"Aren't guardians supposed to stay right with their summoners? How come you aren't with her right now?"

"Well, for one thing, she's got other guardians. For another, just between us, she can fight better than just about anyone. Cept me, of course."

"Really? I thought summoners didn't like fighting."

"They generally don't little brother. That is what the guardians are for. Isn't that right, Maroda?"

"Yeah. It takes years of training before they can even get their first Aeon. They don't have time to learn fighting skills."

"Most of the time that's true." Gippal said, stepping over a root in the path. He seemed unconcerned about walking through a jungle filled with fiends and the like. "But, Rikku's a special case. She got her first Aeon when she was ten." Maroda and Issaru gasped when they heard this.

"But, that's...not possible..."

"I think it is, cause it happened. She's been speaking with the fayth since she could talk. Always hanging around the temple and sneaking in to sit at the feet of Lord Braska's statue. She'd stay there for hours, just listening to the hymn. It's weird to see it, to tell the truth. She's so uppity and never sits still. But she'll be still when in the temple. You'll see what I mean when you meet her."

"Temple priests would never allow a child to enter the Cloister of Trials! And the fayth do not lend their power to children."

"Hey, don't ask me, guy. It happened. One day, a summoner came here on a day Rikku was missing, and her and her guardians found Rikku in the Chamber of the Fayth, sleeping snug as you please wrapped up in Valfor's wings. Must have scared the crap outta them! Wish I'd seen their faces..."

The group stayed quiet, contemplating what Gippal had just said.

A summoner that young, who found her way through the Trials without the aid of Guardians, was incredible. Nothing had ever been recorded in temple histories of anything like it. The youngest summoner recorded was Yunalesca herself at the tender young age of fifteen. That was over a thousand years ago, when Sin first came into being. It was told that she witnessed the birth of Sin from the battle fields around Zanarkand, and that she subsequently found a way to temporarily end its reign with the Final Aeon. What that was, exactly, no one knew. Perhaps those who dwelt in the Farplane knew, but so far all attempts at communication with the dead had failed.

"Um...Gippal?"

"Yeah kid?"

"There's a fiend up ahead."

"Yep. You're right." They continued to walk, straight at the fiend. Gippal did not bat an eye lash at the flan blocking the path. He did, however, smirk slightly. "You'd think fiends would learn after so many times...oh well. More fun for us, right?" He pulled out a strange weapon before any of his companions began to prepare for battle. It looked like an ordinary, if taboo, gun. Except for the barrel, this ended in a spinning ring with runes carved into it. He winked at Pacce before calmly aiming the gun at the fiend. "Bye-bye, water flan..."

The ring began spinning, creating a blue light at the end of the barrel. It was not terribly bright, but it was intense in other ways. The light reeked of magic, somehow incorporated into a machina weapon. Not even the guards of Bevelle had weapons such as this one. They had regular, if deadly, machina weapons. It was a superb deterrent for the masses, but basic in design and use. This gun was something special. The light at the end suddenly flashed yellow, and Gippal pulled the trigger. A bullet, redolent with thunder magic, hit the flan right between the eyes. It died instantly, sending a flurry of pyreflies into the sky. Pacce stood slack jawed alongside Maroda and Issaru.

"Like my little toy?"

"Aren't weapons like that forbidden?" Maroda asked. He was as much in awe as Pacce was, but he managed to cover it up better.

"Sure they are. But I don't follow Yevon, so I get to play with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos."

"But Gippal," Pacce said, tugging on one of the Al Bhed's sleeves, "Why didn't you just cast a spell at it? Or had me or Maroda cast one? I know the thunder spell."

"Weeeeeeeeell, ya see, I'm not so good with magic. Much, much better at fighting and physical stuff. So I use this instead of spells. Takes about as long as a spell and I can change the intensity of the magic by charging the gun. It does the trick when I need to use a spell though."

"Impressive. Where did you find it?"

"Now, now, Issaru! Summoners shouldn't be getting an interest in machina! It's _bad_ for you, remember?"

"Not at all, I think. It's the use of machina, not the machina themselves that create strife."

"Sweet! Any chance I can get you to forget about Yevon and come over to the dark side?" A sideways smirk told Issaru that he was joking. He smiled back, noting that the other man relaxed slightly. He had not realized that Gippal was tense at their first meeting. Before he could ask another of the questions brewing in his mind, movement along the path caught his attention. A man, as tall as Gippal, wearing a red coat and carrying a large katana was walking towards them. He moved with a surety that gave no question about his authority. Issaru recognized the clothing of a warrior monk; the jug at his side being a tell tale sign. His face, half covered by his armor, was rough and scarred. A particularly gruesome scar went down the right side of his face, straight through the eye. Sun glasses partially hid his other eye, making it impossible to read anything from his expression.

"Stop showing off. She's been waiting around while you've traipsed along the paths."

"Sor-ry, Mr. Guardian-who-_never_-shows-off-Auron."

"You...you are Sir Auron?" Issaru was now shocked more than he was at the machina weapon. _That explains the clothing. And why I don't recognize him from Bevelle. He hasn't been there in over ten years._ Issaru bowed deeply, as did Maroda. Pacce did too, but only after being elbowed by his brother."Why didn't you return to Bevelle, Sir? The personal guardian to Lord Braska would have gotten a hero's welcome."

"A parade and crying women?" Auron chuckled slightly. It was out of keep with his appearance. "No. I had other things to do. They were more important than waving from a parade float."

"I know what you mean! It's a lot more fun to be in the crowd and watch the parade than to be in it!" Pacce chimed in, undaunted by Sir Auron's reputation.

"Wise for one so young. Unlike one guardian I know..." A significant look was directed at Gippal, who only grinned back.

"You're all the wisdom we need, Old Man."

Auron was still for a moment, then the katana was slicing through the air towards Gippal's head. At nearly the same moment, Gippal pulled a gun from one of the holsters about his body. Just as the sword stopped less than an inch from his face, the gun was pointing directly at Auron's temple. Both men stared at one another dispassionately. It was the first time Issaru and his guardians had seen Gippal without a grin. In the short time that they had been acquainted, all of them had realized that a grin was the default expression for him. Seeing it absent was not only shocking, it was frightening. The man who had bantered and joked with them was gone, replaced by a person who could kill without flinching. His green eye glinted coldly, ready to accept or to administer death.

Just as suddenly as they attacked one another, they separated. Gippal walked on past Auron without a second glance. He stopped to look at them with a quizzical expression.

"You coming or not? Rikku's right over here..." Gippal made a sweeping movement with one hand, indicating the direction she was in. "Oh, riiiiiiiiiiight, you want to 'oooh' and 'aaaah' over Auron, don't you? Well, don't be all day huh?" He walked off then, quickly shielded from view by the broad leaves of plants. Auron turned to follow, halting in the spot Gippal had stopped at just a moment ago.

"Don't judge him too harshly. And don't endanger his summoner unless you want a quick death."


End file.
